a simple tool to diagnose stroke risk

According to the National Academy of Medicine, atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder. This corresponds to an acceleration of the heart which begins to beat at an irregular rhythm. If left untreated, it can cause heart failure or accelerate the onset of certain conditions. “Atrial fibrillation causes blood clots to form in the atria of the heart.indicates Health Insurance. This increases the risk of stroke. Researchers at the British University of East Anglia estimate that atrial fibrillation can increase the risk of stroke fivefold. To reduce this, they developed a tool capable of identifying people at risk of developing this arrhythmia. The conclusions of their study appeared in European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

Risk factors for atrial fibrillation: how to identify them

“It is very important to identify who is at high risk and more likely to develop atrial fibrillation, indicates Professor Vassilios Vassiliou, cardiologist and lead author of this study. Indeed, this requires specific treatment with anticoagulants to reduce the risk of strokes.” But to treat atrial fibrillation, you must first identify it. Scientists collected medical data from more than 300 English patients who suffered from an unexplained stroke. “We determined how many of these patients had atrial fibrillation up to three years after their stroke, adds Professor Vassiliou, and then performed a thorough evaluation to identify whether there are specific parameters for identifying atrial fibrillation.” In particular, they used data usually collected after a stroke: monitoring the heart rhythm through prolonged monitoring with a small implantable device called a loop recorder, ultrasound of the heart, or echocardiogram.

A simple tool for diagnosing people at risk of atrial fibrillation

Thanks to this work, four factors were identified: advanced age, higher diastolic blood pressure and two criteria associated with the coordination and functioning of the upper left chamber of the heart. These different elements were “systematically present in patients suffering from this arrhythmia”specifies the cardiologist. “We then developed a model that can be used to predict who will experience atrial fibrillation over the next three years and therefore be at increased risk of stroke in the future.” According to him, the tool is very simple to use and therefore accessible to all health professionals. “And this can potentially help doctors provide more targeted and effective treatment to these patients.”he suggested.